What Should I Write in a Five-Paragraph Essay on Courage?

By Staff Writer | Last Updated August 4, 2015

A five-paragraph essay on courage should contain an introduction with a thesis statement, three body paragraphs that support this thesis and a concluding paragraph that summarizes the essay’s main points. The introduction should start by grabbing readers’ attention and should end with a main idea or thesis statement about courage. The three body paragraphs should each contain an idea or argument that supports the main idea, and the conclusion should restate these points and end with a thought that is meaningful to the reader.

Courage means many things to different people, although one element that many people believe is a part of courage involves finishing difficult tasks and seeing tough situations through to the end. It is much easier to start a challenge than it is to complete one, and people who have courage, by and large, tend to see things through.

Quite a few historical and contemporary examples exist for those choosing to write about this element of courage. The courage that President Abraham Lincoln showed at the end of the Civil War in refusing to let anger dictate his treatment of the former Confederacy went a long way toward helping the country become one again. The courage that marathoner Dick Beardsley showed near the end of the 1982 Boston Marathon, when he sprinted after the eventual winner, Alberto Salazar, pushing himself to the limit all the way to the end of the race even with a painful calf injury, is an example for others to follow. These are examples that bolster an essay’s impact on its audience.